


Quality Company

by alexanderlightweight



Series: Words of October 2019 [34]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bad Puns, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Smitten at First Sight, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-06 01:42:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21218489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexanderlightweight/pseuds/alexanderlightweight
Summary: All of the magic and power in the world won't prepare you for the moment a terrible pun slips out.akaMagnus just wants to sip his tea and mentally bemoan the Clave in peace.  He's not expecting a handsome stranger's laugh to pierce through a century of masks.





	Quality Company

**Author's Note:**

> For the Fluff Bingo challenge square: tea 
> 
> I'm a bit behind on everything, I nearly burnt out between writing this much and RL (+ getting sick) but we'll see how it goes because I'm not giving up.

Magnus sat at a table in a small tea shop; brick walls and hand carved wooden shelves decorated with a thriving botanical environment, all plants that undoubtedly moonlighted as potion ingredients. 

It was a hidden place. Tiny and well known by only a select community and thankfully, it had yet to be discovered by either social media or many mundanes. The owner was a Seelie and Magnus had carefully warded a nearby alley himself. Creating an area for discrete portal travel which made it all the more accessible to those with magic. 

Magnus also suspected that certain types of Seelie magic were at play in the shop, seducing in customers while still encouraging their discretion. 

As it was, Magnus wasn’t about to complain, no matter what kind of magic might be involved. Less tourists and mundanes meant a more enjoyable time for himself. It wasn’t a place many would look for him and so he could sit and drink tea to his heart's content. Far away and free from the responsibilities of the shadowworld and the long list of problems he was constantly having to fix. 

As it was, times had been harrowing of late; what with more and more Circle members starting to regain their confidence and creep out of the woodwork. 

Magnus still felt it was a crime that the Clave hadn’t hunted each and everyone of them down. 

Barring that, many a downworlder had volunteered for the task of tracking down and disposing of Circle members, however the Clave had denied them. They had cited that overeager downworlders may take the opportunity to strike down respectable, law-abiding shadowhunters instead of just Circle members. Which was apparently out of the question.

Magnus had scoffed at that. If Valentine hadn’t stolen the mortal cup his little terrorist group would have never been truly exiled. It wasn’t until the shadowhunters themselves had suffered that the Clave even thought of the Circle as criminals. If anything, Magnus knew that there had been many among the Clave who considered Valentine and his lackeys a type of shadowworld vigilante group. 

The bell to the shop chimed and Magnus huffed out a breath, determined not to let his mood be ruined by such dark thoughts. 

A man entered, tall and dark haired and while his stride was strong, his stance was unassuming. Magnus noticed how he didn’t tower over the other customers in line. He took the chance to admire the breadth of his shoulders and allowed himself a small smile of appreciation when the man took a few steps back, getting out of the way rather than demanding way be made for him. 

Magnus caught himself and scowled, oh he was really scraping the bottom of the barrel if he was admiring the bare minimum of common courtesy. 

Truly, times were hard.

Determined to ignore the damper his own mind was putting on him, he focused instead on his tea, the light notes of citrus and the soothing burn of ginger. 

It was as he was leaving that he heard a gust of air and the heralding sizzle of fire message, he reached back to grab the message and found his fingers brushing skin. Magnus turned, surprised that the man from the shop was there, holding the fire message in one hand and offering it to him with slightly pink cheeks. In his other hand was a togo cup and he shuffled nervously, a finger tapping at the lid.

“Sorry,” he said and his voice made Magnus sway just closer to hear it a little better. “I didn’t even think about who it was for, I just caught it.” 

“A common mistake.” Magnus promised, even though it wasn’t. He paused, wanting to continue the conversation but also still in the process of recalibrating his brain. This very tall, very gorgeous man was either not a mundane, or had the sight. Either way, he was someone who knew of the shadowworld and Magnus would take it as a sign, for now.

“I’m Magnus,” he said and took the paper, fingers purposefully brushing against the other’s as he did. “May I know the name of who I’m thanking?”

“A-Alec.”

“Well,” and Magnus wasn’t necessarily a gambling man but he did love a risk, “Alexander. Thank you.”

Alec shivered under his words, staring at Magnus through very long lashes and Magnus suddenly didn’t care that he’d had plans or places to be.

“I haven’t seen you here before,” Magnus said, hoping Alec would take the opening.

“Oh, I don’t normally stay long. Just drop in to pick something up, it’s a nice change from coffee and the walk here clears my head.”

“Tea is quite magical.” Magnus agreed and winked as he did so, earning a wider grin. “I don’t want to keep you if you’re on your way, but could I tempt you to a dinner invite?” At his words Alec’s smile disappeared and he looked puzzled and Magnus internally winced, perhaps that had been a little too strong for such a quick meeting. “It’s not often I meet someone with similar tastes and well, I appreciate _ quality _ company.”

It wasn’t until he’d spoke that he realized the pun and Magnus bit his tongue, internally despairing of this ever going anywhere now. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy a good pun, he just normally waited to get to know someone before throwing them at them, especially someone like Alec, who he would like to get to know better.

But Alec, Alec _ laughed _.

It was a low laugh, delicious for the fact that Magnus could practically feel how rare of an utterance it was. Alec laughed as though he were surprised by it, his cheeks bunching with the stretch of his humour and his eyes grew shiny with mirth. 

“That sounds fun.” He finally said when he’d caught his breath and Magnus was mesmerized by the lingering joy on his features, “I’d like that. A lot.”

-

Magnus walked through his loft, fingers gliding in a silent tempo as he paced. It had been decades since the last time he’d felt this nervous, but his heart was aflutter and he knew his own tells. He’d been perfectly content with his outfit, after all he wasn’t one to second guess his own fashion, but he’d changed his earcuff at least half a dozen times and while he was now happy with the silver dragon climbing his ear, he still had quite a few minutes before Alec arrived.

As if delighting to prove him wrong, a knock sounded on the door and Magnus hastened to it, flinging it open a tad dramatically but it was worth it, to be able to see Alec’s soft smile and hopeful gaze on the other side. Magnus hadn’t even realized how disappointed he would have been if it had been someone else until utter relief flooded him. 

“Hi,” Alec said and then he shifted, hands bunching together as if he didn’t know what to do with them, “sorry I’m early.”

“I don’t mind.” Magnus stepped back, allowing Alec to enter. He was wondering just how desperate he would seem if he suggested canceling their dinner plans for a casual night in, when his wards echoed around him. They always did that, offering an imprint so to speak, of whatever guest arrived but this threw him and he nearly stopped breathing for a moment. 

“-agnus, Magnus?” Finally broke through his thoughts and he opened his eyes from where he’d close them to stare into Alec’s worried ones. “You okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

Magnus didn’t know how he’d missed it. True, Alec had been wearing a higher collar at the teashop but here, now that he looked for it, the rune that creeped up Alec’s neck was obvious. It relieved him, that Alec had never intended on hiding that he was a shadowhunter, but it also made him curse himself for not being more aware.

“Is something wrong?” Alec asked and Magnus paused in his immediate instinct to reassure. 

“Give me a moment?” He asked instead and walked into his apothecary, not closing the door but moving so that it shielded him enough to take several deep breaths. Alec was still the same man he’d been nearly instantly smitten with. The fact that he was a shadowhunter certainly wasn’t a dealbreaker. Magnus would still have asked him out, whether or not he’d realized it on their first meeting. It just… it was a small shock. To have spent all this time wondering what Alec was and to never have even considered that he might be of nephilim heritage. 

What didn’t change, was that Magnus wanted to get to know Alec better and considering that Alec was currently in his loft, early by at least a half an hour for a date, Alec wanted to know him as well. 

“Sorry about that, had to gather a few things.” Magnus said as he rejoined him, leaving out that what he’d gathered were his thoughts. 

Alec gave a soft, hesitant smile. Gentler still than even his earlier one of delight, “should I come back, later I mean? I am here early.”

“Don’t you dare,” Magnus said and reached out unthinkingly, his hand stopping just a breadth away from Alec’s arm. Magnus didn’t mean to be hesitant but shadowhunters were, well they were not a soft culture and Alec had already shown himself to be very reserved in some ways. 

Alec rolled his shoulders, the motion flexing his muscles and it pushed his arm up and into Magnus’ grasp, “I’m not going anywhere then.” 

“I’m glad,” was all Magnus could say, his voice drifting as his hand reflexively squeezed Alec’s arm in appreciation. “So, dinner? You’re still hungry? I know the perfect little tea shop we can go to for dessert.”

“Starving,” Alec said and it sounded more like a promise than a state of being and Magnus smiled, an equally soft smile to match the one on Alec’s face. 

“_Honesty_, I like that.” 

Alec's laughter was just as precious as it was the first time Magnus had made a pun but this time, Magnus grinned and joined him.

**Author's Note:**

> We're closing up on October (wtf 2019)!!! Not quite but nearing it and this has been a crazy and wonderful month of writing. Thanks you for reading! 
> 
> terrible tea puns are my jam, I'm kind of sad I didn't fit more in here
> 
> I'm on tumblr as [alexanderlightweight](https://alexanderlightweight.tumblr.com)


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